In the manufacture, handling, transportation and/or use of various organic substances, corrosion problems occur due to the presence of varying amounts of water in solution or in suspension in the organic substances. Illustrative organic substances include particularly hydrocarbon distillates as gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, lubricating oil, fuel oil, diesel oil, crude oil, etc. Other specific oils include cutting oils, soluble oils, slushing oils, rolling oils, etc. which may be of mineral, animal or vegetable origin. Other organic substances include various coating compositions as grease, wax, household oil, paints lacquer, etc. Still other organic substances include alcohols ketones, esters, ethers, dioxane, amino compounds, amides etc. In spite of all reasonable and practical precautions which are taken to avoid the presence of water, an appreciable quantity of water separation is found as a film or in minute droplets in the pipe line or on container walls or even in small pools at the bottom of the container. This results in corrosion of the metal surfaces and contamination of the organic substance by the corrosion products.
In order to prevent or at least inhibit the corrosion caused by salts and other contaminants entrained within the water phase, it is desirable to remove the water from the continuous phase hydrocarbon liquid. The water must be separated into a distinct layer so that it can be siphoned away from the hydrocarbon liquid. Before this can occur, however, the emulsion must first be broken.
It is an object of this invention to provide a highly efficient method for the breaking of the water-in-oil emulsion. This ultimately results in a reduction in the corrosion of the metallic parts which contact with the hydrocarbon liquid.